The Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association was an early senior-level men's amateur ice hockey league, founded in 1903, and played one season, 1903-1904 before joining the Manitoba Hockey Association. It operated in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario of Canada, and was an important league in the early development of ice hockey in Canada.
Teams Brandon Wheat City Hockey Club Portage la Prairie Plains Rat Portage Thistles
1903-04 Season Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Goals For Goals Against Brandon Wheat City Rat Portage Thistles Portage la Prairie Plains
League leaders Player Team Goals Billy McGimsie Rat Portage 14 Harry Bright Brandon 13 Si Griffis Rat Portage 12 Jack Brodie Brandon 9
Stanley Cup Challenge In March 1903, the Rat Portage Thistles would challenge the Ottawa Senators in a best-of-three series in Ottawa. The Thistles were younger and quicker than Ottawa; only one player on the Thistles was over the age of 20. However, poor soft ice conditions in Ottawa played a major factor as Ottawa swept the series with scores of 6–2 and 4–2.
Date Winning Team Score Losing Team LocationMarch 12, 1903Ottawa HC 6–2Rat Portage ThistlesDey's ArenaMarch 14, 1903Ottawa HC 4–2Rat Portage ThistlesOttawa HC wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0
+ March 12 Rat Portage 2 at Ottawa HC 6Fred Dulmage G John "Bouse" Hutton Mat Brown P Harvey Pulford, Capt Tom Hooper, Capt CP Arthur Moore Si Griffis RO Dave Gilmour 1 Billy McGimsie 2 C Frank McGee 2 Bill Martin LW Billy Gilmour 3 Roxy Beaudro RW Suddy Gilmour Referee- Harry Trihey
+ March 14 Rat Portage 2 at Ottawa HC 4Fred Dulmage G John "Bouse" Hutton Mat Brown P Harvey Pulford, Capt Tom Hooper, Capt CP Dave Gilmour 1 Si Griffis RO Frank McGee 2 Billy McGimsie 1 C Percy Sims 1 Bill Martin RW Billy Gilmour Roxy Beaudro 1 LW Suddy Gilmour Referee- Chauncy Kirby
References https://web.archive.org/web/20150212014941/http://hobokin.net/kenorastats1.html